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The best Seattle music I missed in 2017

So, near the end of December, I did the same thing I always do and so many others do at the end of the year and I made a list. This list was full of all my favorite local (PNW) releases of 2017. I felt pretty good about it when I was done. There was some really solid stuff in there.

However, I knew I would either realize, or be informed of, things I missed right after I posted it. This was correct. While these will just sound like excuses, the truth is that there are legit reasons for these omissions. First, it's nearly impossible to hear everything. I really do try. But blind spots exist and some things just get by me.

Second, a couple of these albums were literally released the day my list was posted. I didn't think that two of the best local albums of the year would come out the last week of December, but that's exactly what went down.

So, let us take a moment to recognize and enjoy some more of the best work our local music community gave us in 2017.

Prom Queen - Doom WopI don't know how I missed this one. I remember getting the email with the single "End Of The World" which I loved right away and started playing on Locals Only soon after. I just missed the official release of Doom Wop when in happened. Shameful.

Luckily I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, From The Green Room, hosted by Pickwick frontman Galen Diston when I heard him interview Celene (Prom Queen) and I instantly went looking for Doom Wop. The whole album is great and feels like it could very easily be the soundtrack to a Tarantino film any day now. I'm also a real sucker for the very retro cover of "November Rain".

The Hollers - Alone TogetherFor all of the talking I do about The Hollers and my crush on their frontman Trevor Boone (it's Trevor's birthday as I write this, so happy birthday Trevor), I somehow didn't know that they set a release date for this album and it came out on the exact day I posted my "Best Of 2017" list. It was one of those moments where you experience joy and disappointment at the same time because I was excited it was out but also bummed that I missed it.

I'm just going to go ahead and say that this was a highly anticipated debut full length from The Hollers. It's a fantastic, straightforward rock album from start to finish and will be in heavy Locals Only rotation for the foreseeable future.

Special Explosion - To InfinityIt must have been 2012 or 2013 when I saw Special Explosion open for Head Like A Kite at The Croc. I didn't know who they were, I just showed up early and they rewarded me for it with a great set. After that, Special Explosion dropped off my radar for several years. Then BOOM! It's the end of 2017 and here come Special Explosion with their excellent new full length, To Infinity, an album that not only would have been high on my list in 2017, but is sure to put them on the map in 2018.

The single "Fire" sounds like something that could, should, and might be heard on The End and other alternative stations frequently in the future. I think we all just got invited to the Special Explosion arrival party and I'm going to sing "Gladiators" loudly until they (the band) insist that I stop.